Second Star to the Right
by mirrored light
Summary: The year is 1848, and Lucy Heartfilla, fresh from the East, arrives in the suburb of Fairy Tail in the height of the Gold Rush. Prospectors, strippers, stalkers and more- the world is not quite what it used to be. Western AU
1. Chapter 1

**Second star to the Right**

"No rancher has the right to sell, or own, what God meant to be free. The Range must always remain open." Western AU

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail**

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**i.**

From _The Diary of Lucy Heartfillia, 1848_

_I came to the West looking for an adventure. What I got was two pounds worth of sand in my shoes, a fly that won't stop buzzing around my head and an empty water canister covered in filth. Adventures aren't quite what they used to be. _

_The year is 1848, the sun still rises in the East, and gold is the only thing on people's minds. Not on mine though. What I've always longed for is the freedom of the wide open plains, the babbling of a tiny river and the soft crush of grass underneath my feet. Especially since all I've seen since I was a child is glass and metal and stone. And gold. God knows I'm sick of the stuff. _

_Sacramento looks like a tiny dot on the edge of the horizon, and all around me is grit and scrub. For the first time since I left, I feel -_

Scared. Lucy tucked her diary into the open fold of her knapsack and stood up, ignoring the tiny spike of pain the motion created in her feet. Night was falling fast, and the air swirled mockingly.

_Alright,_ she thought, _I'm just a little lost._

The stars were beginning to show, sprinkled over the night sky like molasses on a layer cake. Layer cake. Lucy's stomach grumbled.

What was it that her nursemaid would always tell her? _Follow the second star to the right._ Staggering slightly, Lucy stared at the stars. The second star to the right was rather conspicuously absent, but is situations like this, compromise was necessary. Weaving, walking, Lucy made her way over the tiny scrub dunes towards the East.

Night dropped like a wedding veil, the air felt cool and sweet. The sky and ground began to blur, till everything around her felt like one big Ferris wheel, like the ones she was fond of when she was a child-_Spin me again, Daddy, spin me again! -_ and it was dark and she was dizzy and dehydrated, but just before she fell, she thought she saw the second star, winking sadly, and a head of wild pink hair.

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Lucy woke up in a hospital bed. Woke up, actually is putting it lightly. She screamed and thrashed and waved her hands around, and it was only when the nurse at the door handed her the diary that she fell silent.

The nurse, a pretty young woman with pale silver hair and blue eyes, studied Lucy critically.

"You took quite a tumble there, ma'am." Her voice was soft, but with an unmistakable Western drawl.

Lucy sat up slowly. "Where am I?"

The nurse smiled, and pushed open the blinds. Sunlight tumbled into the room.

"Welcome to Fairy Tail."

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**A/N: Western!AU Fairy Tail! Alright!**

**I really shouldn't be starting a new project, but I couldn't resist. **

**Enjoy! And don't forget to review!**


	2. Chapter 2

Lucy stood in front of the only mirror in the infirmary, fixing her hair. Out of whim, she had styled it in an up do she had barely used since her childhood days- a tiny ponytail on the right side of her head. For as long as she could remember, Lucy would use this style to comfort herself in a strange place, and wearing it now gave her a peaceful feeling.

Mirajane (the nurse, as Lucy had learnt her name was) knocked on the door. "Lucy, are you alright?"

"I'm fine!" Lucy called.

As she opened the door, Lucy noticed Mirajane hide a smile behind her hand. "What?" she asked.

"Oh, nothing." Mirajane looked perfect as always. "Ready for the grand tour?"

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"Is it always this quiet?" Even though Lucy was pretty sure she wasn't being followed, she still whispered.

"Not really," Mirajane chirped, "we had a pretty big celebration last night, so I suppose everyone's still nursing hangovers."

"Oh."

The conversation dwindled to a stop. Unsure of what to say, Lucy minutely observed her fingernails. Then a thought struck her- last night, when she almost fainted, she could have sworn she saw someone with pink hair…

"Hey, Mirajane? Do you-"

"Here we are!" Mirajane pushed open a tall set of oak doors. "The Fairy Tail Saloon!"

Lucy looked around. The saloon was dark and stuffy, dark wood and vinyl. A bar top seemed to float in one corner of the room, and two old men were playing cards in the corner. Whatever it was that Mirajane was staring at with rapturous joy, Lucy couldn't see it.

Old Guy #1 looked up. "Hey, Mira! We need more beer."

"It's 9 o'clock, Macao." Mirajane spoke kindly, but there was a glint of steel in her eye. "What will your son think?"

"I have a son?"

Lucy was saved from a potentially embarrassing scene by the door being kicked open by a boy. A familiar boy. A boy with messy pink hair.

The boy's mouth dropped open. "It's _you!"_

Lucy blinked as the boy moved closer and inspected her. He opened his mouth, and Lucy could feel the beginnings of a flush on her face.

"Would you like to see my cat?"

Okay, she did not see _that_ coming.

The boy whipped out a cat from behind his back. "His name is Happy."

"How original."

"I know!" The boy smiled like she had made his day.

Lucy gingerly picked up the cat. She had never been that good with animals, but this one cuddled in her arms like it was the most natural thing in the world. A good sign, she supposed. Just as she was starting to get comfortable and feel pretty good about herself, the cat looked up. And _spoke._

"You're really pretty."

Lucy shrieked. What else could she do? She also dropped the cat in question.

"Hey!" The cat curled its tail indignantly. "That was demeaning!"

"_That cat is blue." _It also spoke, but Lucy decided to line up the batting order from the least strange to the most, so that she didn't have a panic attack.

The boy seemed unperturbed. "Yes, he is." He grinned slightly. "Happy fell into a vat of dye when he was just a kitten."

"He never recovered." Macao stage whispered across the room.

Happy sniffed. "I have a dream, when one day I will be judged not by the colour of my skin, but the content of my character."

"Then you would be judged just the same." Mira said sweetly.

"Don't mind Happy, Luce- can I call you Luce?"

Lucy snapped. She had been dragged across sand dunes, subjected to a scrutinizing session by a boy with pink hair, and apparently now cats could _talk._

She drew herself up to her full height. "You may call me Miss Heartfillia."

An impressive silence followed her announcement. Then Old Guy #2, who had been largely silent, snorted. "Yeah, of course. And _Your Majesty _too, while we're at it. Not all of us here have nice manners like Mirajane."

The boy smiled obliviously. "Luce it is, then. Oh, and you can call me Natsu." He turned to Macao. "Master wanted to see you in his office."

Natsu turned around to leave, then turned. Walking up to Lucy, he put his lips next to her ear.

"Hey, Luce?"

Lucy couldn't breathe. Natsu's breath tickled her hair, and he smelt of pine sap and kerosene. "Yes?"

"You're hair looks weird."

And then he walked out. Lucy turned, red faced, to see Mirajane smiling at her again.

"What?" She snapped.

Mirajane shook her head, her blue eyes sparkling. "I think he _likes_ you."

Lucy groaned. This was going to be a very long day.

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**A/N: I am a troll. No, really.**

**About the Martin Luther King reference, I really couldn't help it. I would apologize, but it was worth it.**

**I'm like the ghosts in _Ghostbusters_, reviews only make me stronger.**

**Review away. Please do.**


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